Electrically conducting coating on glass and other ceramic bodies



Patented Aug. 21, 1951 ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING COATING ON GLASS AND OTHER CERAMIC BODIES John M. Mochel, Louisville, Ky., assignor to Cornin'g Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application November 24, 1950,

Serial No. 197,515

as the resistance elements in electric resistance devices variously adapted for heating and other purposes.

Among the metal oxides which have been proposed for such application is tin oxide, the iridized films of which possess sufiiciently low resistances to make their use as electric resistance elements especially attractive. Such films are, however, subject to easy poisoning in that the presence of a small amount of another metal oxide such as cadmium oxide, chromium oxide, copper oxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, and the like eifects such an increase in resistance that the films may be rendered practically useless for heating purposes. Presumably, this effect is due to the higher resistance exhibited by each of such other oxides in its corresponding iridized form.

As disclosed in my pending application Serial Number 771,860 filed September 3, 1947, iridized films of indium oxide are also electrically conducting and are useful as electric resistance elements. Such a film, however. has a considerably prise primarily indium oxide and tin oxide equivalent to approximately 0.1% to 45% S1102. A further advantage of these films is that varying amounts of other metal oxides such as those that normally poison a film of tin oxide alone can be tolerated without any substantial adverse efiect on their resistances.

The present films can be produced in the same manner as corresponding films of indium oxide or tin oxide alone. The glass or other vitreous ceramic surface to be iridized is heated to an elevated temperature of on the order of about 650 C. and preferably about 700 C.; and a solution containing a compound of indium and a compound of tin in proportions on the oxide basis to provide a film having the desired resistance is directed against such heated surface, advantageously in atomized form, for a time sufilcient to produce a film of the requisite thickness. Under the high temperature conditions prevailing, the indium and tin salts apparently hydrolyze or otherwise decompose instantly and are converted to the corresponding oxides, which are deposited on the glass surface and integrally unite therewith. Contact of the iridizing medium with the heated surface for a period of up to a minute or so is generally suificient, a 10 to 20 second treatnient ordinarily producing a film of the third or fourth order of thickness.

(The thickness of such a film may be gauged by the apparent color caused by the interference of light waves reflected therefrom. As the thickness of the film increases. its apparent color changes, and the order or succession of the colors with increasing thickness corresponds to that of the well-known Newton rings described at page 147 in A Treatise on Light" by R. A. Houstoun (Longmans Green 1: Co. Ltd.. (1938) The respective color sequence for each order and the thickness in Angstroms, based on red because it distinguishes the successive orders, are as follows:

I Thickness Order Color Sequence in Angstroms 1st white, ellow, red 775 2nd. violet, lue, green, yellow, red.. 2, 320.

purple, blue, green, yellow, red. 3, 870 green, re 5, 420 greenish-blue, red 6, 970 greenish-blue, pale red 8, 520 greenish-blue, reddish-white... 070

Although other compounds of indium or tin may be used, the respective chlorides are preferred on account of their availability. Of the various chlorides of tin, the pentahydrate of stannic chloride, Such-511:0, is preferable because it is an easily weighable crystalline substance. Aqueous solutions of such chlorides should contain sufiicient free hydrochloric acid to prevent premature hydrolysis of the salts.

The resulting iridized glass or other ceramic surface is then provided with spaced terminals or electrodes for passage of an electric current through the film as by depositing a conventional silver metallizing paste along two opposite edges of the film and firing the same. Other means for introduction of the electric current into the film may or course be utilized for adaptation of the iridized surface as the resistance element in an electric resistance device.

The following examples are illustrative of the lowered resistances characteristic of the present Examples 1 to 7 Per Cent Per Cent Ohms per Example lmO; S110: square By way of contrast, an iridized tin oxide film of the fourth order of thickness has a resistance of about 200 ohms per square, and an iridized indium oxide film of the same thickness has a resistance of about 500 ohms per square.

(The electrical resistance of an iridized film is conveniently expressed in ohms per square for a stated thickness, the resistance of a square film being independent of the size of the square. The resistance, as will be understood, varies inversely with the thickness of the film.)

The presence of a small amount of another metal oxide in-the instant films does not appear to adversely afiect their resistances to any substantial degree and, in fact, may serve to further lower their resistances in certain cases. The following examples are illustrative:

Example 8 A third order film produced from a solution consisting of 5.08 g. InCls, 0.28 g. SnCl4-5H2O, 0.21 g. CdCh-2H2O, 8 cc. 1120 and 2 cc. 37% aqueous H01, equivalent to 93% R1203, 3.5% SM): and 3.5% CdO on the oxide basis, has a resistance of ohms per square. In comparison, a fourth order film consisting of SnOz and 3.2% CdO has a resistance of about 600,000 ohms per square.

Example 9 A third order film produced from a solution consisting of 5.08 g. InClz, 0.28 g. SnCli-5Hz0, 0.11 g. CuClz-ZHzO, 8 cc. H20 and 2 cc. 3'7 aqueous HCl, equivalent to InzOs, 3.6% SnOz and 1.4% CuO on the oxide basis, has a resistance of 133 ohms per square. In comparison, a fourth order film consisting of $1102 and 1.4% CuO has a resistance of about 450,000 ohms per square.

Example 10 A third order film produced from a solution consisting of 5.08 g. InCls, 0.28 g. SnC14-5H2O, 0.85 g. FeCla-SHzO, 8 cc. H20 and 2 cc. 37% aqueous HCI, equivalent to 89.5% InzOa, 3.4% SnOz and 7.1% F6203 on the oxide basis, has a. resistance of 47 ohms per square. In comparison, a fourth order film consisting of $1102 and 3% of FeaOa has a resistance of about 130,000 ohms per square.

Example 11 A third order film produced from a. solution consisting of 5.08 g. InCla, 0.28 g. SnCl4-5H2O, 0.053 g. CrOs, 8 cc. H20 and 2 cc. 37% aqueous HCl, equivalent'to 95.1% 11120:, 3.7% SnOz and 1.2% CrzOa on the oxide basis, has a resistance of 96 ohms per square. In comparison, a. fourth order film consisting of SnOz and 4.3% CraOa has a resistance of about 280,000 ohms per square.

I claim:

An electric resistance device comprising a nonporous vitreous ceramic body having on a surface thereof an electrically conducting iridized metal oxide film integrally united with the surface and comprising primarily an oxide of indium and an oxide of tin equivalent to approximately 0.1% to 45% SnO-z, said body being provided with spaced terminals in electrical contact with such film.

JOHN M. MOCHEL.

No references cited. 

